It's a Wrap! The Second JLT Restaurant Awards Conclude with a Glitzy Ceremony Attended by a Capacity Crowd

Dubai, 9^th December 2018

Following a month of online voting and input by expert industry judges, the 2018 JLT Restaurant Awards concluded with a glitzy ceremony held at Nara Pan-Asian Restaurant in JLT. A capacity crowd witnessed the big reveal of the winners and runners-up of the 18 categories in Dubai’s first hyper-local F&B awards.

On Monday, 26^th November 2018, Nara Pan-Asian Restaurant in Dubai’s Jumeirah Lakes Towers neighbourhood, played host to the gala ceremony marking the end of the second JLT Restaurant Awards. The event, which saw the winners and runners-up of the Awards’ 18 categories announced by the MC, blogger (A to Za’atar), and Zomato Ambassador Courtney Brandt, was attended by 100 local restaurateurs, F&B professionals, and foodies. The second edition of Dubai’s first ever hyper-local F&B awards attracted 89 nominations across 18 categories and recorded almost 10,000 online votes for the 16 publicly voted categories, which ranged from “Best Indian” to “Best Café”, “Best Middle Eastern”, and “Best Brunch”. Two additional categories, “Best Newcomer” and “Best Overall”, were judged by an expert panel of industry insiders consisting of Courtney Brandt, Author & Blogger, A to Za’atar; Jane Nedanoski, Operation Manager, Rhodes W1; Chef Tomas Reger, Culinary Curator, Cruet Cooking Consultants; and Hershal Ghambir, JLT Resident & Hospitality Marketing Professional.

The 2018 JLT Dining Awards also featured a new category, “Hidden Gem in JLT, with voting shortlist based on suggestions submitted online by JLT residents, office dwellers, visitors, and Dubai foodies during August and September 2018.

Notable winners were: Couqley French Bistro for Best Overall and Best Bar, Bait Maryam for Best Middle Eastern, McGettigan’s JLT for Best Brunch, Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria for Best Pizza, and Manzoni Bistro & Bar for Best European (Licensed).

Among the other prominent winners were:

Best Indian: 800Thali

Best South Asian: Little Lahore

Best Street Food: Wokyo Noodle Bar

Best South East Asian: Betawi Café

Best Newcomer: Vietnamese Foodies

Best Café: Own Café

JLT Hidden Gem: Golositalia

The list of all winners and runners-up is available at http://jltdining.com/restaurant-awards-2018

 “Congratulation to all winners and runners-up and a big thank you to everyone who participated and helped us to make the second JLT Restaurant Awards even bigger and better than last year’s inaugural event”, says JLT Dining’s Chief Munch Officer Ina Kubler, and continues “Although, there could only be one winner and one runner-up for each of the 18 categories, everyone who took part in the awards is a winner! Together, we put JLT’s burgeoning food scene on the map, created awareness, and – most importantly – forged connections and friendships between local restaurateurs, hospitality professionals, and foodies.”

The awards will take place again in 2019 and the details and provisional timeline are available at http://jltdining.com/restaurant-awards .

The awards were supported by a number of technical partners and sponsors including law firm Charles Russell Speechlys as legal partner, JLT-based Blossom Tree Flower Shop as official flower supplier, Lanjaron Arabia as the official water supplier, FoodSheikh Media as official media partner, and Cold Stone Creamery as headline sponsor. The awards were also supported by Localyser, Make My Meal, Liquid of Life, Fruitful Day, Stylextend, FooDiva, Body Time, Hala Kiwi, and Vogue Interior Decoration L.L.C.

About the JLT Restaurant Awards:

jltdining.com, the interactive food directory exclusive for JLT – Dubai’s vibrant business & residential neighbourhood with over 300 independent eateries, launched the first ever restaurant awards scheme for the 300+ independent restaurants, bars, and cafes in Jumeirah Lakes Towers in 2017. Backed by Dubai-based industry consultants sps:affinity, the JLT Restaurant Awards are open for all JLT-based restaurants, cafes, and bars. The 2018 awards featured 16 publicly voted categories ranging from “Best Middle Eastern” and “Best Bar” to “Best Service” and “Best Healthy”. The awards also boasted two judges-awarded categories: “Best Overall” and “Best Newcomer”, as well as a new “Hidden Gem in JLT” category, which was based on community suggestions. More details about the awards are available at http://www.jltdining.com/restaurant-awards-2018

About JLT Dining:

JLT Dining is the only restaurant listing and review platform, which focuses exclusively on JLT, the DMCC regulated free zone in the heart of new Dubai. It targets the area’s 75,000+ residents, 60,000+ working professional, and neighbours in the adjacent communities.

You can find JLT Dining at www.jltdining.com and also on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JLTdining), Instagram (http://instagram.com/dining_in_jlt/), and Twitter (https://twitter.com/JLTdining).

JLT Dining is the brainchild of Martin Kubler, the founder of Iconsulthotels and CEO of sps:affinity.